Smallmouth In Nfow

[drew03cmc]

What is the fishing like and what a re the most productive stretches in your opinions.

[sean c]

Drew I have only done Hammond down not sure about upstream of there. Done it in a driftboat twice fly fishing the fishing was okay not great but it is the prettiest stretch of the north fork that I have been on you float past blue and rainbow spring lots of cool bluffs no development. The downside is Hammond is the main put in for most of the canoes you will have to deal with floaters in season. From Hammond down to say Justin's would be a long day of fishing but it would be half smallmouth and half trout. The other option would be Hammond to Kelly ford if you only wanted to do the smallmouth.

[Al Agnew]

Plenty of floatable smallmouth water above Hammond, though it gets very low in the summer. The times I've fished from Hammond down to Norfork Lake, there didn't seem to be a whole lot of smallmouth. But I've only fished it a few times.

[Brian Wise]

The times I've fished from Hammond down to Norfork Lake, there didn't seem to be a whole lot of smallmouth. But I've only fished it a few times.

7/8 of that float is concentrated trout water.....not saying we don't catch smallmouth from Kelly to the lake, but nothing like above Rainbow Spring.

I think the only simple answer to your question, Andy is above Rainbow Spring. On good water Hebron to Kelly is what I would call the best smallmouth water on the river.

[Justin Spencer]

Lots of smallmouth in all sections, but the clarity of the river and the blue ribbon designation makes them tough to catch from rainbow to Patrick. Upper sections have the deeper holes, and while I haven't fished it much most people say it is the best smallmouth water. I shocked with MDC a few years ago and was impressed with the number of nice smallies from Kelly to McKee bridge. Get murky water and the section from patrick to the lake can be good.

[Ham]

The upper river (above Twin Bridges) is loaded with smallmouth, but the size was terrible. I did a day trip where we caught about 180 smallies and not a one of them was longer than 12 inches. I won't fish that again.

I usually fish Hammonds to Sunburst. I follow the law. I switch to all hard baits and Zig Jigs at Rainbow Springs. Smallies eat the Zig Jigs and jerkbaits pretty well. It's a good trip. I wouldn't do that float on a weekend during the summer and expect solitude, but during the week is just fine. I try to make that float a couple of times a year.

[KCRIVERRAT]

Hey Andy, I've floated many times frome Hale to TB,s. Like Ham said, the average size of the smallmouth ain't very impressive but there's lots of fish. I've always wondered why the MDC hasn't designated that stretch a trophy area. There is one spot I know of that has usually produced a 15 or 16 incher for me.

[Ham]

That upper stretch would be fine IF I lived local, but it just isn't worth the drive for that size fish. Using the same methods, I catch better fish EVERYWHERE ELSE I fish.

I do catch better fish from Hammonds to Sunburst. (fixed a couple typos).

[drew03cmc]

Thanks everyone. This river is on my list to hopefully get on this year. I need to explore some more of the Ozarks.

[RSBreth]

From Topaz to Hebron is full of Smallies, but like Ham said they usually aren't big. That being said since I know you like waving a fly rod around I like that whole upper stretch for throwing poppers - lot's of topwater action and usually pretty quiet during the week. Even if the biggest one you get is 14" or so - still one really nice day of fly fishing for Bass if you catch 40 of them. I t does get skinny in summer - but you can wade a lot of it that way, too.